Composites have been employed in the construction of all types of useful articles such as, storage vessels, transportation containers, vehicle parts including cars, trucks, boats and airplanes and the like. These objects as with all objects are subject to damage through use. In many instances, these damages will occur at places remote from adequate repair facilities and it is desirable to have means for expedient and often temporary but structurally sound repairs. One method for repairing these composite articles is to adhere, via adhesive bonding, precured composite or metal repair patches to the damaged area(s) Another method is to remove the damaged portion and rebuild the part under heat and pressure in the same manner as the original part was manufactured. Since these composite objects are employed, for the most part outdoors, they are subjected to all types of environments. In humid environments, the composites tend to absorb moisture which, when subjected to the heat usually involved in curing the patches during their repair, tends to vaporize and cause blistering, disbondment and often delamination. It would be desirable to have available an adhesive and or a resinous binder material for use in the repair of these composite objects which cures at as low a temperature as practical but preferably at a temperature less than that of the epoxy resins which are currently employed in the repair of composite parts or objects. The repair material would most preferably cure below the boiling point of water and produce a polymeric system which has thermal and mechanical properties similar to the composite being repaired.
It would be desirable to have available adhesives or binder resins which are low temperature curable and have sufficient thermal properties, cured strength, and water resistance so as to be suitable for use in the repair of damaged composites.